High power pulsed laser (above 1GW/cm²) interaction with matter yields to very high amplitude pressure loadings with very short durations, initiating into solids a strong short shock wave. Compared to the conventional generators of shock (launchers of projectiles, explosives), these particular characteristics offer the possibility to study the behaviour of matter under extreme dynamic conditions, with a possible recovery of the shocked samples presenting the effects of the passage of the shock in most cases. This article introduces the principle of laser shock generation, the characterization of these shocks, principal mechanisms and some effects associated with their propagation in the solids (spallation, Laser Adhesion Test, geological applications).